


A Match That Cannot Be Made

by zubeneschamali



Series: Little Lord Ackles [7]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: M/M, pirate!jared, virgin!Jensen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-11-04 09:17:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17895746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zubeneschamali/pseuds/zubeneschamali
Summary: Part seven in the Little Lord Ackles 'verse. Jensen's father might have been persuaded that Jared is not the rogue he thought, but his mother will be another matter.





	A Match That Cannot Be Made

The string quartet was barely audible out on the patio, but the high trill of the violin still gave Jensen a headache. All of the solicitous concern that had been showered upon him all evening by the wealthy and proper young ladies and gentlemen at the ball welcoming Lady Ackles and her daughter to the islands couldn't hold a candle to a single embrace from the man Jensen most wanted to see.

He gazed out across the formal garden towards the row of high hedges where he'd slipped away the last time there was a ball at the mansion. He didn't know if Jared would be there tonight, but he dared not take the risk. Not with Jared due in his father's presence tomorrow morning for his pardon. As badly as Jensen wanted to be with his pirate captain, he could wait another day.

"Jensen, darling, what are you doing out here?"

He forced a smile as he turned to face his mother. "I needed some fresh air."

"Of course, it's so horribly hot and stuffy." Lady Ackles waved her ivory fan in front of her face. "I had understood that the worst of the summer heat would have passed, or else I would not have made the arduous journey here."

"It is unseasonably warm," Jensen agreed. "Then again, the weather does not change that much from season to season."

"I don't know how you manage," she sniffed. 

"Because it's beautiful," he replied. "When the sun is shining off the water, and the hillside is lush and green, and there's a breeze scented with gardenia, it's paradise."

"I suppose you spend more time outside than you would at home," she said, looking closely at his face. "Given how freckled you've become."

"This _is_ home," he reminded her. "Since I was a child."

"I remember when your father first got this posting," she said, folding up her fan. "I was so disappointed. Thrilled with his governorship, of course, but I did not relish the thought of living in this climate." She gave a delicate shudder. "To sweat all of the time is clearly unnatural."

For some reason, that made Jensen think of the way that sweat made the hollow of Jared's throat glisten and the way it lent a faint, salty taste to his sun-bronzed skin. Jensen had to turn away for a moment to compose himself. 

When he looked back, she was tapping the fan against her cheek. "Your father informed me through his letters that there would be no use in looking for a young woman that would be suitable for you. Is that correct?"

Jensen drew himself up straight. This was the real reason for his mother's visit—indeed, for the ball going on inside—and it would be best to nip any ideas she might have in the bud as soon as possible. "Yes, it is. But I'm afraid there is no need to search for a young man, either."

She arched an elegant eyebrow over eyes as green as his own. "You are planning on joining a monastery?"

He snorted. "Hardly. I only mean that I have already found one."

"You have found a suitable partner for the eldest child of the governor of the islands?" she asked with narrowed eyes. "Tell me, of what noble line is he? Where are his lands?"

Jensen felt a slow flush rising in his cheeks. "Those were not the primary criteria by which I made my determination."

"I suppose you went by his handsome face and his pretty words instead."

"Rather by his noble heart and his bravery," Jensen retorted. "And his kindness and his loyalty."

"He sounds truly exceptional," his mother mused. "Wherever did you find him?"

He couldn't help the small smile that quirked up the corners of his lips. "It was he who found me."

Lady Ackles' eyes widened. "You are not speaking of that…that _pirate_?"

"His name is Jared," Jensen said. "And yes, I am."

"Oh, Jensen." She put a hand on his arm. "I understand that you feel some affection for the man who rescued you, maybe even to the point of infatuation. But that is all it is. You are hardly old enough to know your own mind about these things."

Jensen resisted the urge to violently shrug her off, mindful of the partygoers just inside the French doors. Instead, he took a careful step back so that her hand fell away. "If I am too young to know my own mind about the man I want to spend my life with, then how am I old enough to have you decide that for me?"

"Because I know better than you," his mother said gently. "Jensen, you don't know what makes a good, lifelong match. It is more than physical attraction or infatuation. It is compatibility, being of a like mind and a like background. You need to be able to understand each other in order to compromise where need be while still remaining united."

"Like spending most of your marriage with an ocean between you?"

His mother lifted her chin, her gold earrings catching the light of the lamps indoors. "Your father and I did not marry for love, it is true. And yet we raised two fine children and have managed quite well for ourselves."

"I don't want to _manage_ ," Jensen said, leaning closer and dropping his voice. "I want Jared."

Lady Ackles sighed. "Your father mentioned that you seemed quite close to this rescuer of yours, but I had not realized to what extent. After the pirate has come and gone tomorrow, you will be able to move on. There might not be a wide variety here," she said with an elegant gesture towards the ballroom behind her, "but I am certain Mackenzie and I will be returning home before long. There are plenty of fine young men of the appropriate background there; I am certain that we will find one to be satisfactory for you."

There was a prickling at the back of Jensen's neck. "What do you mean, after he has come and gone?"

She tilted her head to the side. "That will likely be a condition of the pardon." She made a shooing motion with one hand. "Go and sin no more, or something like that. There would be no use in pardoning the man if he was going to stay in the islands and return to his old ways."

"He can't—Father didn't say anything like that." Jensen's stomach was suddenly in knots, wondering why he hadn't thought of this before. Jared would have no idea, either, at least he wouldn't have had when they parted ways the other night.

"He probably thought it unnecessary." She regarded him more closely. "This truly upsets you. I am sorry for that, Jensen, but you are of an age where you have to put the ways of childhood behind you. You are a man now, and you cannot build your life on romantic fantasies."

His mind was racing, but he offered her a shaky smile. "I am fine, Mother. I just need the cool air for a moment longer, that is all."

"It is more likely that a dance will take your mind off of your worries." She gestured inside. "Master Collins has been hovering near the door, awaiting your return. He seems a bit…odd…but he does have impeccable manners."

"I'll be in in a moment," Jensen said, gritting his teeth, wondering how quickly he could get away through the gardens.

"You should come inside _now_ ," she replied firmly. "The men who kidnapped you are not yet all accounted for. You need to be inside where it is safe."

"It is perfectly safe—"

" _Now_ , Jensen."

He couldn’t argue with her, not without making a scene, and that would make it even harder to slip away. "Fine," he agreed gracelessly, barely remembering to offer her his arm as they made their way back inside.

Try as he might, however, Jensen was unable to get away for the rest of the night. The music finally stopped two hours after midnight, and the remaining guests were accommodated in the mansion so they didn't have to risk the journey home at the late hour. With the extra people indoors plus the regular rotation of the guards outside, there was no way for him to get away.

Instead, he spent a sleepless night looking out the window, wondering if tomorrow was going to be the last time he saw his Jared.


End file.
